On this second Sunday of Advent, we focus on the theme of peace. Our sense of peace (and hope, joy, and love, etc.) is far more a function of perspective rather than circumstance. The prophet Isaiah and the apostle Paul both set touchstones for...

Keeping Sabbath is a test of faith that removes a day’s wages (or a day’s progress in our projects for workaholics) so that we recognize that his care for us far surpasses our efforts. At the core of observing Sabbath rest is an intentional use...

The culture around us defines us according to our occupation and income. We are human “doings” in the eyes of the world. We are created in the image of God, the true source of our value, worth & identity. We are human “beings” in His eyes. ...

God very strongly identifies the orphan/fatherless, widow and immigrant as being objects of His special attention. His identity is bound up with how much He cares for them. YHVH commands a structure in Israel’s everyday society that provides fo...

Several times in scripture humans are likened to sheep. This is not a compliment. Isaiah famously intones that "all we like sheep have gone astray." We are weak, learn slowly, and require the leadership of a shepherd. Sheep that do have ...

Last week we concentrated on seeing people the way Jesus does. The next thing Jesus does after seeing a person is: He loves them. He has compassion for them. He cares about them and for them. One of the challenging things He sees in them is tha...

Jesus sets a clear pattern in His ministry of deeply seeing people. Many of those people are on the margins and are not seen by others. Human tendency is to self-protect with distance and an “eye bounce” that avoids seeing them. In contrast, wh...

Looking at Jesus' Kingdom through the lens of Romans 5, we are encouraged to remain faithful and confident in our salvation because of the lengths to w...

Being a Christian doesn’t remove us from the hardship in our lives. Far from it. However, because of the Kingdom of God (and its King), we take strength and comfort from three things: His past faithfulness: His current indwelling (and PERMANENT...

The Book of Psalms is sometimes called “The Little Bible.” It mirrors the five books of law, and Blake Adams tells us “We should read it not as an assortment of poems and songs but as a single rhapsody on God’s covenant promises.” This year’s M...

According to the standards of the world, Jesus assumes a very low profile in His ministry that launches the inbreaking of the Kingdom of God not by edict, governmental action, or human might, but by compassion that drives Him to recover the hel...

Recent sermon themes converge today as we see the arc of God’s interactions with humans adapting over time as He matures the human race to have the capacity to receive His greatest self-revelation: Jesus. We note again how Moses’ and the hebrew...

It’s a mighty special day at Oakhaven Church: our annual homecoming corn roast! Today’s message will be in a creative vein as we hear one of Jesus’ followers describe some of the highlights of their years of ministry together.

Scripture says that God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. However, humans are not. We are on a huge learning curve when it comes to understanding God and His ways, and we examine how He customizes his revelation and relationship with ...

God sets a pattern of revealing Himself in ways that are simple enough for His children to understand. These revelations are far from where He will eventually “arrive.” The sense of where God is begins with Him being distant and separate and VE...

We embark on a journey to discover how God "customizes" His presence (via our perception of where He dwells) to meet the needs and frame of reference of different people across time. We start with a spoiler alert and read the final chapter firs...

Today we revisit the story of Jesus walking on water, this time in Matthew 14. As a template for our experience, we acknowledge that storms happen, ...

Today we look closely at Psalm 42, a beautiful psalm of lament that we often don’t get past the first verse on: “As the deer pants for streams of water...

Today we look at Jesus’ call on Saul on Acts 9. God appeals to the next apostle through an experience that reaches all Saul’s senses, capturing his attent...

Oakhaven Church has the tradition of setting aside "regular sermons" on fifth Sundays to instead hear members and their testimonies of how God has worked in their lives, especially how He has drawn them into life with Him. Today, Josh Patterson...

As we continue to examine Paul’s wide-ranging message in Romans 8, we come away with several insights. First, following Jesus will include moments of ...

On this day celebrating fathers we look at the amazing access God grants us to Himself using Romans 8:9-19 (NLT). 

We are in a complex and mysterious, adventurous and powerful, permanent relationship with the Spirit who lives within us to anoint and nudge and save and remind and inspire and empower and equip and comfort and counsel and reform and transform ...

We continue to look at Jesus’ teaching on prayer in Luke 11. After He teaches His disciples “The Lord’s Prayer,” Jesus goes on to use humans in everyday ...

Luke 11:1-13. Today we look at two different episodes in Jesus’ life with His disciples. First is His teaching them “His” prayer in Luke 11, with a key ...